Elliott 436 Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) I popped out today with two rifles, the 223 to test out some homeloads and 22LR to harvest some rabbits. Unhappy with my 223 groups I turned to the 22LR to concentrate on the rabbits. After checking the CZ452 zero at 50yds I dropped a rabbit at 30yds and the next at 96yds with just under 2 mil-dots of holdover on my Hawke Frontier 3-9x40. Both taken with clean headshots. What a cracking little tool. I'm going to give the 223 a rest for a few weeks now and start enjoying the 22LR again. It really is a joy to use being accurate, recoiless and almost totally silent. A perfect rabbit harvesting tool and one I'll never sell. Edited March 6, 2016 by Elliott 2 Quote Link to post
Alsone 789 Posted March 6, 2016 Report Share Posted March 6, 2016 (edited) If you don't need the extreme range of the .223, and like a quiet round (comparatively for a CF) with little recoil, consider getting a .17 hornet for longer range instead of the .22 hornet you were considering (sale of .223 should fund it!). Same ballistic curve as the .223, but almost no recoil and good ammo off the shelf. Will take fox out to a couple of hundred yards without over pushing it and some would use it further. I personally think it's a very under rated round, although it does seem to be getting an ever bigger following. Edited March 6, 2016 by Alsone Quote Link to post
Elliott 436 Posted March 7, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 If you don't need the extreme range of the .223, and like a quiet round (comparatively for a CF) with little recoil, consider getting a .17 hornet for longer range instead of the .22 hornet you were considering (sale of .223 should fund it!). Same ballistic curve as the .223, but almost no recoil and good ammo off the shelf. Will take fox out to a couple of hundred yards without over pushing it and some would use it further. I personally think it's a very under rated round, although it does seem to be getting an ever bigger following. I was considering just that last night Alsone Quote Link to post
Alsone 789 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Someone on here has one Elliot from previous postings. Maybe you need a night out with them to see whether or not it can replace the .223 for you as nothing like hands on when spending lots of money. Quote Link to post
walshie 2,804 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Hmmm. I'm struggling to see how a 17 hornet can possibly be a replacement for a 223. It has less than half the muzzle energy for starters. I'm toying with a 22 hornet as an "in-between gun" to fill the gap between 22lr and 223 - which is exactly what it is. Just my opinion of course. Quote Link to post
devon flighter 421 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Hmmm. I'm struggling to see how a 17 hornet can possibly be a replacement for a 223. It has less than half the muzzle energy for starters. I'm toying with a 22 hornet as an "in-between gun" to fill the gap between 22lr and 223 - which is exactly what it is. Just my opinion of course. i had one for years walshie and agree it fill the gap perfectly ,i used mine for everything its a cracking round ! 1 Quote Link to post
Brickhill 28 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 (edited) The .204 ruger is a brilliant pest round with a 32g Hornady Superformace. Cartridge (Wb + type) V/E @ Muzzle V/E V/E @ 100 yds V/E @ 200 yds V/E @ 300 yds .204 Ruger (32 VMX) 4225/1268 3632/937 3114/689 2652/500 .22 Hornet (45 HP) 2690/723 2042/417 1502/225 1128/127 .223 Rem. (50 AT) 3300/1209 2889/927 2514/701 2168/522 Edited March 7, 2016 by Brickhill Quote Link to post
Alsone 789 Posted March 7, 2016 Report Share Posted March 7, 2016 Hmmm. I'm struggling to see how a 17 hornet can possibly be a replacement for a 223. It has less than half the muzzle energy for starters. I'm toying with a 22 hornet as an "in-between gun" to fill the gap between 22lr and 223 - which is exactly what it is. Just my opinion of course. Elliot says he's more interested in low noise and recoil than out and out power. With that in mind, the .17 hornet seems a perfect replacement at moderate ranges eg out to 200yds as it's low noise (for a CF), low recoil and you can see the strike. Of course it's not replacement for a .223 if you need the extra range or energy. I have no 1st hand experience shooting the .17 hornet so can only go off reports and others experiences, but it seems to be getting quite a following. An article in Outdoor Life even described it as the perfect predator round eg: http://www.outdoorlife.com/blogs/gun-shots/17-hornet-how-i-discovered-perfect-predator-round Quote Link to post
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